They had no choice. Chief Minister Chang held a high position with great authority and was a wily old fox. In every respect, they were completely no match for him. Being able to receive a warning from Chief Minister Chang this time was already an unexpected blessing. As for anything more, it truly wasn’t appropriate to demand too much. Moreover, Chief Minister Chang now clearly didn’t want to say more, so they could only take their leave together.
After they left, Master Chang entered: “These two men aren’t actually all that muddled.”
Although their stance had been somewhat wavering at first, that was also because the Crown Prince had favored his concubine over his wife. As subjects, their allegiance naturally had to align with the Crown Prince’s preferences. That they could now clearly position themselves was already quite commendable.
Chief Minister Chang’s eyes felt somewhat sore. Following his usual practice, he accepted the brocade handkerchief his son handed him and placed it over his eyes. Feeling his dry eyes become more comfortable, he tossed the handkerchief aside and smiled: “They’ve never been muddled. Chen Dezhong is just a bit too shrewd, too eager to cater to preferences. As for Fu Youde, he’s always been advising the Crown Prince to value the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children. These two men can be considered conscientious.” After finishing, seeing his son begin to tidy his desk, he asked again: “Has that old fellow Censor Shi truly taken the bait?”
Master Chang rather helplessly gathered a stack of letters together and placed them in a bamboo basket. Hearing Chief Minister Chang say this, his hand trembled, and he couldn’t help but smile bitterly: “Father, the way you say it makes it sound as if Censor Shi has done something heinously wrong. Hasn’t he simply fallen for your trap? Now he’s about to charge forward as a vanguard.”
Chief Minister Chang had always been one to show neither joy nor anger, but at this moment he couldn’t help but burst out laughing, glaring at Master Chang: “What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean ‘fallen for my trap’? Even without me to provoke him, upon hearing those rumors this man would certainly come charging forward with his life on the line.”
Master Chang nodded. That was indeed true. Censor Shi was the most upright and incorruptible of men. This person feared nothing. He had done many things where he risked his life for justice and righteousness in his heart. Hearing that Prince Gong’s rebellion might actually have been caused by the Grand Imperial Grandson’s intimidation and covert harm, he would of course be pained by the innocent suffering the common people were enduring, not to mention that rumors were now spreading throughout the capital claiming that Zhou Weizhao had secretly harmed Emperor Jianzhang. It would be strange if Censor Shi could restrain himself.
After nodding, Master Chang finished tidying the desk in one go, then turned back to look at Chief Minister Chang: “But Father, playing it this way, isn’t it going too far?” He sat down across from Chief Minister Chang: “If things get too chaotic, I fear people’s hearts will truly become unsettled. After all, there’s still fighting in Fujian, and in Hubei there are still tens of thousands of disaster victims without proper settlement. At a time like this, if matters stray from everyone’s expectations, it will be very difficult to resolve.”
Not very difficult—it would be completely impossible to resolve. At that point, he, as Chief Minister, would only be able to atone with death to the realm and the successive emperors of the Great Zhou.
Chief Minister Chang stroked his beard but wasn’t tense: “We must try. A centipede never topples over even when dead. Han Zhengqing, Fan Liangdi, and Prince Gong have operated in the capital for too many years. Their foundations run too deep. Without doing this, how can we completely root out their followers?”
If they couldn’t dig them all out cleanly, incidents like the current one would occur endlessly, never ceasing.
“Grind ink for me. Worrying so much now doesn’t help matters. The arrow is already on the string and must be released.” Chief Minister Chang spoke, then asked: “Tomorrow seems to be the farewell banquet for the Fourth Young Master of the Marquis Changning’s household?”
Master Chang acknowledged: “Yes, His Highness and the Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort are both to attend in person.”
Chief Minister Chang made a sound of acknowledgment: “Send more people to accompany them. Don’t let anything happen.”
Tomorrow there would surely be another scene. Even if Han Zhengqing’s people weren’t agitated, Song Chuyi and the Grand Imperial Grandson would certainly stage a performance to fan the flames. During chaos, they needed to be even more careful about safety.
Master Chang quietly assented and went to make arrangements.
The next day, something did indeed happen. Actually, it wasn’t anything major, just that the rumors had spread too fervently and intensely. Public resentment surged, the military situation was critical, and the anger of the common people and court officials inevitably needed to find an outlet.
And this outlet naturally should be on Zhou Weizhao, whom Prince Gong wanted to campaign against, and on the Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort Song Chuyi, the disaster star sent from heaven who brought calamity to the nation and suffering to the people. People blocking the road and the procession surrounded them layer upon layer. Charging to the very front was actually a group of Buddhist monks, sitting cross-legged on the ground chanting sutras all around, claiming with every breath to seek justice for Master Yuanhui and the over three hundred people from Huangjue Temple.
They said that Song Chuyi’s reputation as a lone star bringing calamity was absolutely genuine. Master Yuanhui had been silenced by the Marquis Changning’s household and the Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort simply because he had spoken the truth—they had framed and shifted the blame onto him, which had led to such a catastrophic extermination.
Killing monks had always been viewed as inauspicious. But since it was Emperor Jianzhang who had given the order at the time, no one dared say anything. Now that Emperor Jianzhang was dead, the situation was naturally different. Of course they could say whatever they wanted.
The watching crowd pointed and gossiped. Even though the people from the Five Commanderies’ Military Inspectorate struggled to block them, they couldn’t separate them.
If what these monks said was true—then this Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort was truly a disaster star descended to earth. His Majesty the Emperor had fallen ill, the Tartars were about to break through into the interior—wasn’t this Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort truly a disaster star?
Before long, scholars came crying and wailing, throwing themselves to the side, one after another accusing Zhou Weizhao of indulging in beauty while disregarding moral righteousness, just short of pointing at his nose and cursing him for harming Emperor Jianzhang to elevate the Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort’s natal family, the Marquis Changning’s household.
Having reached this point, everyone thought that no matter what, the Grand Imperial Grandson should come out and offer some explanation. But Zhou Weizhao didn’t explain at all, remaining motionless inside the carriage without making a sound.
The crowd became increasingly disappointed. Some agitated citizens had already begun rolling up their sleeves and throwing vegetable leaves and rotten eggs toward the procession.
Qing Zhuo and Han Feng jogged to the carriage window, lowering their voices and wiping sweat as they sought Zhou Weizhao’s instructions: “Your Highness, what should we do now…”
This commotion was truly too severe. Han Feng hesitated for a moment: “Should Your Highness come out…”
Song Chuyi’s voice came out first: “No need. At a time like this, what is there to say? Whatever we say will be wrong. Take a detour.” She seemed to sneer, then ordered: “Have the people from the Five Commanderies’ Military Inspectorate restore order!”
With that one sentence, the complexion of the Deputy Commander of the Five Commanderies’ Military Inspectorate beside them completely changed. After a moment, he respectfully acknowledged with a “yes” and cursed as he ordered people to block these common folk from approaching with full force.
As if truly enraged, Song Chuyi ordered through the window again: “Summon the constables from Shuntian Prefecture. Those making the most noise—detain them all and interrogate whether they’re spies for the Tartars!”
From beginning to end, the Grand Imperial Grandson didn’t say a word. The watching crowd erupted in uproar, feeling even more certain that the rumors were indeed true—wasn’t the Grand Imperial Grandson just like someone possessed by a ghost, obeying the Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort in everything? In such a major matter, the Grand Imperial Grandson was actually letting the Grand Imperial Grandson’s Consort make the decisions, even watching her be so arrogant and domineering, issuing such excessive orders!